Troy, ULM put unbeaten league records on the line

Saundra SovickTroy quarterback Levi Brown hopes to pass his team by Sun Belt Conference rival Louisiana-Monroe tonight in Troy.The Sun Belt Conference will have a definitive leader for its football championship tonight after Troy entertains Louisiana-Monroe at Movie Gallery Stadium.

The Trojans (5-2, 4-0) bring a five-game winning streak into the 6 p.m. game. Monroe (4-3, 3-0) is the only other team with an unbeaten record in the league.

Three other SBC teams -- Louisiana-Lafayette, Florida International and Middle Tennessee -- are tied for third at 2-1.

"There are still some pretty good teams that are once-defeated," Troy coach Larry Blakeney said. "All the games we play in the league are championship games. If you win them all, then you seal your fate. If you slip up, then you have to look for somebody to help you in the end. Our hope is to do it ourselves."

That's what Trojans quarterback Levi Brown wants.

"We have a big game this week," he said. "If we want to reach our goal of winning the conference and going to New Orleans (for the New Orleans Bowl), this is a big step. We're playing really well right now and we're just trying to keep it going."

Troy has won outright or shared the Sun Belt crown the past three seasons. The Trojans lost only one league game last season -- to the Warhawks.

Troy and Monroe are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in scoring offense in the league and No. 3 and 4, respectively, in scoring defense.

Brown is coming off a record-setting performance against North Texas in which he threw for 469 yards to break a 41-year-old school single-game mark set by former All-America quarterback Sim Byrd.

Brown leads the Sun Belt in passing with 2,148 yards and 10 touchdowns. Monroe's Frank Goodin is No. 3 in the Sun Belt in rushing with 613 yards and 10 touchdowns.